Chapter 180: Poor Lucifer, Some Things Are Not Worth Fighting Over
Hojo Miyoko's words successfully stunned Ren.
Ren stood there, blinking, momentarily at a loss for words. He looked at Hojo Miyoko, who was dressed in a loose basketball jersey, dripping with sweat, yet standing with the burning determination of someone who wanted to apprentice to learn the pinnacle of cooking.
For a second, the absurdity of the visual clash made Ren's mind wander. He really, really wanted to ask, "Are you trying to apprentice to learn cooking, or are you about to say, 'Coach, I want to play basketball'?"
It was a classic meme reference that popped unbidden into his head (Coach, I want to play basketball).
However, Ren swallowed the joke. It would ruin the serious atmosphere she had built up. Instead, he chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"As for taking disciples, forget it," Ren said, his tone gentle but leaving no room for negotiation. "After all, you are still a Tōtsuki student. You have your own path to walk within the academy. However, if you have any questions regarding technique or theory, you can come to the Restaurant and ask me anytime."
Hojo Miyoko furrowed her brows, thinking hard for a moment. She opened her mouth, "Okay! But if..."
"I know what you want to say," Ren interrupted, raising a hand to stop her spiral. "Don't worry. If you want to come and learn cuisine, you can. Watching and learning is not something to be ashamed of. But as for a formal apprenticeship—kneeling, serving tea, that sort of thing—let's skip it. I don't teach people in that traditional sense."
Upon hearing this, Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako, who were standing nearby, both rolled their eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't sprain them.
Seriously? Erina thought, crossing her arms. You don't teach people? If you 'don't teach people,' then how exactly did you manage to make the entire Elite Ten Council sit obediently in a classroom like kindergarteners and hang onto your every word? You are the most natural-born teacher I've ever met!
Hojo Miyoko, however, was stunned for a different reason. She processed his words, and then, a look of profound, almost enlightened understanding dawned on her face.
"I see..." she murmured, her eyes widening. "Shopkeeper Ren, you mean... you want me to comprehend the essence by myself first? You want me to observe, steal the techniques with my eyes, and only ask you if I truly hit a wall? You want me to be independent? As expected of Shopkeeper Ren!"
Ren opened his mouth to correct her. That's not what I meant at—
He paused.
Wait.
For some reason, this sentence felt a bit off. It sounded like something a cult leader would say. But after comparing it to what he actually said—which was basically "I'm too lazy for a formal apprentice"—her interpretation seemed... harmless?
At this moment, Ren was also a bit stunned. How ambiguous... Is my charisma stat broken?
And the most ridiculous thing was that Hojo Miyoko's mental gymnastics reminded Ren of the master of overthinking, Tony Stark. However, whereas Tony Stark overthought tragic backstories and sci-fi scenarios, Hojo Miyoko seemed to overthink other people's intentions into profound life lessons.
Somewhere in the multiverse, a girl named Nao-chan was probably giving a thumbs up and whispering, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Ren hesitated for a moment, weighing whether to burst her bubble. He decided against it. After all, there was no formal apprenticeship involved, which was his main goal. If she wanted to treat it as a "silent mentorship," that was fine.
Ren didn't dwell on it too much, smiling and nodding with a practiced enigmatic look. "Although something feels a bit off about your conclusion... yes, that is pretty much the meaning."
Hojo Miyoko was clearly a bit excited. To her, this was a tacit acknowledgment. In that case, it was like being half a disciple!
She wiped her hands on a towel, Hojo Miyoko no longer had the mind to play ball. She looked at Ren with shining, fanatical eyes and asked, "Shopkeeper Ren, then may I ask... what do you think of Chinese Cuisine?"
Ren leaned back slightly, his posture relaxed. "It is very good. I like it a lot. The Eight Great Traditions—Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Huaiyang, and so on—plus the countless smaller regional cuisines and snacks. In short, Chinese Cuisine is a type of cuisine that you could eat for a lifetime and never finish tasting. Why do you ask such a general question?"
Miyoko clenched her fists, her expression darkening slightly. "Because I specialize in this area. But... Senior Kuga Terunori always specializes in Sichuan Cuisine. He believes Sichuan Cuisine, with its explosive heat and numbing spice, is the most powerful cuisine. Because of his influence, the school's Chinese Cuisine Research Society effectively only researches Sichuan Cuisine..."
Ren was stunned. He blinked, then shook his head helplessly.
"The taste and flavor of Sichuan Cuisine are indeed very impactful," Ren admitted. "Mala—the numbing and spicy sensation—is a powerful weapon to grab a judge's tongue. But cooking can't just be about impact. It needs to be a balance of strength and softness. Yin and Yang. Kuga clearly doesn't know this yet; he is obsessed with firepower. But he'll understand later. Also, Hojo-san..."
"Just call me Miyoko!" she blurted out, stepping closer.
Ren nodded. "Miyoko, you need to understand that you are researching Chinese Cuisine, but you are not researching it with Kuga-san. You don't need to get angry or feel inferior. People's wrong ideas will eventually be confronted with facts."
Ren's voice took on a soothing, lecturing tone. "That is much more useful than verbal arguments. Just research your own thing. Focus on Cantonese precision or Huaiyang knife skills if you wish. After all, even if you truly prove you're right with words, if your dish doesn't taste better, what's the use, right?"
Hojo Miyoko nodded vigorously, absorbing the wisdom.
Erina, listening from the side, also thought it made a lot of sense. Some things are useless to argue about. Facts—the dish on the plate—are always more effective than verbal arguments. Some things are simply not worth caring about; arguing or not arguing has no benefit or harm to oneself. It was a philosophy of absolute confidence.
After that, the atmosphere in the gym shifted from athletic to academic.
Hojo Miyoko made full use of her time. She stayed there until the afternoon, sitting on the bench and asking Ren about various aspects of Chinese Cuisine.
"Sensei, how do you handle the baochao technique for squid?"
"Sensei, what is the key to a clear Superior Soup?"
Ren's answers were perfectly comprehensive. He explained the science of heat, the structure of proteins, and the history of flavors. This greatly elevated Hojo Miyoko's respect for Ren.
After all, a being of Ren's caliber—who could command the Elite Ten—could smile gently and share all the little tips he knew without reservation. Such people were rare in the cutthroat world of Tōtsuki.
Erina also benefited greatly. She stood by, listening intently, realizing there was much knowledge she didn't know. This also confirmed her belief that learning from Ren was indeed more beneficial than attending classes. His teaching wasn't mechanical or by the book; it was engaging, fun, and practical.
It wasn't until the sun was almost setting, painting the gym windows in orange and purple, that Ren stretched his stiff muscles.
"Ah... It's already so late," Ren noted. "But Miyoko, is it really okay for you to skip classes all afternoon?"
Hojo Miyoko waved her hand dismissively. "Shopkeeper Ren, you can absolutely rest assured about that. Because there are no assessments in the afternoon, and I've already taken leave, so there's nothing to worry about. This was worth a hundred classes."
Ren nodded, about to say something about dinner, when he saw the heavy double doors of the gym pushed open directly.
Bang.
Then he saw Kinokuni Nene, looking utterly helpless, walking in. Beside her skipped a lively Cerberus, and trailing behind was a face-palming Lucifer.
Erina said with surprise, "Cerberus! Lucifer! Why are you here? And Kinokuni-senpai? How are you all together?"
As soon as the two of them entered, Ren hadn't even had time to speak when he saw Lucifer walk over. She moved with a singular purpose, ignoring everyone else. She directly hugged Ren, burying her head in Ren's chest without saying a word, just holding him like that.
She clung to him as if he were a lifeline.
Kinokuni Nene sighed, adjusting her glasses. She looked at Cerberus, who was holding her hand and happily eating dried fruit, and said with a rare hint of doting fatigue in her voice: "It's like this..."
A few minutes later, the story was explained.
Ren looked at Lucifer and Cerberus with a wry smile. These two really were... a handful. They had only just found Kinokuni Nene's research club after getting lost, but apparently, they almost went to the back mountain in between to "hunt."
Lucifer hugged Ren tighter and whispered, feeling wronged, "I'll definitely stay with you next time... I hate getting lost."
Ren smiled and shook his head, patting Lucifer's head gently. "Thank you so much, Kinokuni-san, but how did you two know we were here?"
Kinokuni Nene said helplessly, "Actually, after I listed all the possible places in Tōtsuki where a guest might be, Cerberus and Lucifer immediately told me it might be in the basketball court. It was a complete guess, so I brought them here."
Ren nodded with a smile. "Mmm~ Intuition is a scary thing. Thank you, Kinokuni-san. Cerberus, did you thank her properly?"
"Yes! Thank you, Glasses-Onee-chan!"
"Then let's find a place to have some dinner, and then we can go find the old man."
Upon hearing this, Erina, Hojo Miyoko, and Kinokuni Nene's eyes all lit up.
The opportunity to taste Ren's dishes was truly rare. It was the stuff of legends. However, seeing Ren's tired expression after a day of lecturing, a different idea formed.
All three enthusiastically raised their hands. "Let us cook!"
In the end, Ren enjoyed a meal prepared with full effort by three beautiful young women in the small faculty kitchen nearby. Miyoko made a fiery Golden Fried Rice, Erina prepared a delicate French Appetizer, and Nene served a perfectly refreshing Soba.
"Lucifer~ What's wrong?" Ren asked softly, noticing the Demon Queen was still glued to his side even while eating.
"Nothing, I just feel it's better to be with you..." Lucifer mumbled, taking a bite of Ren's food.
"Hmm? Why are you so clingy today?"
"Nothing... Don't you like it? I want to go back..."
"Alright," Ren laughed, wiping a crumb from her cheek. "Let's go find the old man first."
"Mmm~"
Under the setting sun, Ren, holding Lucifer who looked like a wronged little girl, walked behind the lively Cerberus. Their three shadows stretched long, long across the pavement of the academy grounds.
At this moment, thousands of feet in the air.
On a plane nearing the city, several beautiful women and a very elegant uncle sat in the VIP cabin. Their expressions varied—some bored, some curious—but it was certain that all of them held a faint sense of anticipation and excitement.
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